Coffee is a must.

[JAK]

I use only the finest blend of coffee beans which I gather on backpacking trips around the globe. I roast my own beans on the trail and use the roasted beans within 5 days. I then grind my own beans and brew the coffee within 15 minutes of grinding, using fresh spring water with all the various parasites and other microbes lightly killed, by the combined action of the boiling the water and the natural antimicrobial qualties of the coffee beans.

Then I toss the swill into the ditch make cowboy coffee.

[CowHead]

Folgers Coffee Singles is what I used their light wt and make a great cup of Joe

[TrippinBTM]

If I didn't have bad taste I'd have no taste at all.... but I think that mixing a spoonful of instant with a packet of hot chocolate is superior to anything that's ever come out of my friend's various coffee making devices.

Yeah that's good stuff. But use two hot chocolate packets, and more coffee. And add some milk to that thing and you got yourself one badass milkshake.

[Worldwide]

I have never tried coffee from a press. I have used the Maxwell House Filter Packs. basically it is a sealed coffee filter with the grounds in it already and just boil the water then add the pack. They can rip. So I just put them inside of something like an empty Pringles canister.

[Jaybird]

I decided today that having coffee is a must on my upcoming journey. Having used French presses for previous camping/hiking trips, I enjoy coffee best from the French press systems. Anyone believe one to be better than the other? Product suggestions please.

My friend, "TeePee" brought a COFFEE PRESS a few years ago....coffee was weak & too many grounds...

I now use CAFE BUSTELO freeze dried. (doubly strong Espresso blend)

see ya'll out there (w/ "Jigsaw" & "Model-T")May 2-14 NOBO Harpers Ferry,WV to Swatara Gap,PA

[JAK]

I have to put a plug in for Chai.

I drink tea and coffee, but I like to drink alot of Chai. Chai just means tea in some other language, but what I mean by Chai is the particular way it if spiced and brewed, and why I think it is a particularly good drink for hiking. Ideally, you would use whole milk, with now extra water, and heat up the actual milk almost to a boil, maybe even boil it, but you actually cook the milk pretty good. So it essentially pasteurizes the milk all over again. At some point you dump the tea in, which is black tea, sometimes with some green tea, and lots of spices. The spices in chai always include cardamom, cloves, and sometimes also black pepper, cinnamon, anise, and something else I'm forgetting.

Anyhow, you end up drinking alot more milk, which it high in protien and the fast and slow carbs you need for hiking, plus alot of vitamins and minerals, plus the heating gives you more warmth, and the heating and the spices help preseve the milk and tea and you can overall drink more with the spices and less caffiene than if you were drinking tea or coffee alone. It's more of a cold climate thing though, like where you might find sheep and goats grazing, places like Afghanistan and Pakistan or New Brunswick and Maine.

I like a strong cup of coffee in the morning, but I like to drink alot of chai through the day. Not so much mid-summer, but alot during the Spring and Fall, especially on hikes. Good dieting drink also. Keeps you going all day without resorting to major meals or junk food, and its well balanced for what you actually need while dieting. That is, if you make it with skim milk.

How I make Chai while hiking...
1. Bring water to full rolling boil in Kelly Kettle.
2. Fill my mug/pot 1/3 full with skim milk powder.
3. Add my chai tea leaves and spices directly to the skim milk powder.
4. Sometimes add a little cold water to presaturate the skim milk powder because it can get too lumpy when scalded, and because I might want to drink it right away and the Kelly Kettle Water is boiling hot. If the water is iffy though I will only use the boiling water and then simply wait until it all cools.
5. Dump in the boiling hot water and then carry on with hike and drink as I go.

I used to use a Nalgene Bottle for all this, but now I use a metal mug. I like it to be something I can hike with though, and so I like a sealable lid. That is why I would like a sealable lid for my mug/pot. That also means I don't need separate water carriers. I have almost perfected my 750ml Fosters Beer Can Mug/Pot with sealable lid. Photos coming soon.

[SteveJ]

http://www.rei.com/product/638124

I got one and I'll be staying with my home made coffee maker. I was not happy with the from the REI devise.

I used one of these for several years. My problem with this one is that I like strong coffee - and if I use this I can only make about 1/2 cup of coffee at a time and have coffee that, to me, is worth drinking.....

I've gone to using this:

http://www.rei.com/product/726094

Have only taken it on one trip, but in the two times I've used it, have been happy with the results.... Biggest complication is that I can't figure out how to carry it - I carry a light, cheap plastic insulated cup that I got from a gas station with a lid, and used to carry the steeper in my cup. This one is designed not to sit inside your cup, and won't fit there in a way that I can put the lid on the cup. I've made room in my pot for it, but had to rethink where I could carry the things I've been carrying in my pot (stove, windscreen, etc.).

[seanb724]

I use this from REI:

http://www.rei.com/product/726094


Just place grinds in the filter, put the filter on the mug, boil water, and pour the water over the grinds. I sometimes do it more like a slow drip where I hold the filter above the cup. I know there is a debate over french press vs. slow drip, but I like both methods, and use both at home. On the Trail, this small filter is very light and fits inside my mug in my pack.

I too would much rather have real 1/2 and 1/2, but I normally carry powdered creamer. It is not quite as good, but not terrible. I have been tempted to try the mini-moo method, but worry about how well those travel, and I would need at least 2 per day so once you get up to 4 or 5 days or longer, that is too many.

[medicjimr]

Here is what I use simple process

[flemdawg1]

Regular ole Merlitta manual filter cone, weighs 1 oz, fits in my cookpot.


LL Bean now sells this contraption thats even more compact.
http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/sto...505&qs=3009647

[drastic_quench]

French presses are the finest way to make coffee. Once I switched, my pricey drip maker just gathers dust. Of course you have to buy decent coffee either way. If Folgers, Maxwell House, or another store brand is your brand, you're not going to notice as much improvement.

Percolators are the worst. Continually splashing coffee back over the grounds results in a bitter cup.

[Summit]

I can live just fine on instant. To me the cream is the important part, I just can't drink the coffee if it's not loaded with real cream (half and half at the least). that powdered non-dairy crap just won't do!

You just tipped your hand . . . you're not a coffee connoisseur . . . you're a creamer connoisseur! Instant? Yuck!

[Summit]

French presses are the finest way to make coffee. Once I switched, my pricey drip maker just gathers dust. Of course you have to buy decent coffee either way. If Folgers, Maxwell House, or another store brand is your brand, you're not going to notice as much improvement.

Percolators are the worst. Continually splashing coffee back over the grounds results in a bitter cup.

I agree . . .

www.greenmountaincoffee.com

Jetboil coffee press: http://www.rei.com/product/760629

[seanb724]

French presses are the finest way to make coffee. Once I switched, my pricey drip maker just gathers dust. Of course you have to buy decent coffee either way.

I have found that a manual slow drip is very comparable to french press. Automatic drip makers have real difficulty getting the water temp right and passing the water through the grinds at the right speed. With a manual drip, you are in charge of both of those and can tailor the cup to your particular taste, though it does take some practice.

It also takes 2-3 tablespoons per cup instead of 2 for a french press, but I think that is because I am rushing it a little bit. :-)

[Spogatz]

I guess I am a sad puppy....

I just use instant.

[Wags]

i also prefer instant on the trail. no hassle, no mess, no cleanup. just heat water, spoon some coffee into cup and enjoy. i also usually put some powedered creamer and some sugar right into my instant coffee mix before i head out. so it's all ready set.

wake, heat water, visit privy, come back and enjoy coffee

[TrippinBTM]

I want to agree with JAK, tea was more important to me too. I was (and am) split between green tea and chai. Actually, ginger tea is pretty good too.

I don't know if this is really relevant to a thread about coffee, but yeah.

[modiyooch]

I use this from REI:

http://www.rei.com/product/726094


.

This is what I use too, and it's my favorite piece of equipment. Mine was ten dollars from my local outdoor store. It's a basket that sits right in my cup. I carry starbucks coffee and I have two great cups of coffee in the morning. I like my coffee with milk and sugar, so I carry those flavored creamers so I don't have to bother with sugar. If you are going to carry the creamers, stock up before you go. I was unable to find creamers in the North East at any local convenience stores near the AT. A good cup of coffee is very important to me, on or off the trail.

[mkmangold]

I carry starbucks coffee and I have two great cups of coffee in the morning.

I use a modified Jetboil press screen but has anyone tried the Starbucks instant yet? I know there were some posts when it first came out but I haven't seen any from anyone who used it on the trails.

[seanb724]

This is what I use too, and it's my favorite piece of equipment. Mine was ten dollars from my local outdoor store.

When you said it was "my favorite" I realized I should have said something else about it. I recently went on a solo over nighter (see blog post here). When I went to set up camp, this little piece of equipment "jumped" out of my pack, fell into the stream, and started being washed away. There are not many pieces of equipment I would jump into cold rushing water and run after, but my coffee filter certain is one of them!

:-)

/Sean